Sydney's controversial New Year's Eve fireworks display went off without a hitch, raising more than $500,000 for communities wracked by bushfires.
However, the money raised is a fraction of what the event cost to host.
The fireworks cost an estimated $5.8 million to put on, reports The Australian Financial Review.
A petition which called for the pyrotechnics to be cancelled said the money used to host the event would have been better spent on firefighting services and rural communities.
More than a quarter of a million people had signed the petition, but their efforts were in vain.
The fireworks display comes as Australia plans to deploy military aircraft and vessels to help emergency services in the fire-ravaged states of New South Wales and Victoria.
Thousands of people have been fleeing to beaches as emergency-level fires spread.
Two more people have been confirmed dead in New South Wales, bringing the fire-linked death toll to 12.
Authorities say another is missing, along with four others in Victoria.
